A Better Ending to Trollhunters
by Lynn-Labismina
Summary: Jim may still walk among humans...


Chapter 1

Claire

The girl sat at the window. Rain poured down, making the window look like a new Van Gough. The light from the porch outside was obscured by the sheet of water on the window. The girl sat there. The silence was piercing, demanding attention. The knocking of the rain drops on the window produced a rhythm which was almost hypnotic, soothing. She sat there with her elbow resting on the sill, gazing mindlessly at the distorted light. She should have felt sadness, but she did not. She felt imperturbable. She felt blank. Neither cold nor hot. Neither sad nor happy. Neither empty nor full. She simply existed.

Lake

The boy was named Jim. That was all he knew for sure. His name was Jim, and he was a troll. He lived in New Trollmarket. His girlfriend lived in an apartment nearby. His heart was home. His mother was home. His best friend was home. And he was here. Alone.

At least, that's how he felt.

It is nine o'clock on a dark and stormy night. Even in the safety of New Trollmarket, the ground rumbles with each thunder crack. Jim used to be afraid of lightning, back then, when he was young and innocent. Jim chuckles to himself at the thought. There were so many dark and stormy nights he had spent with Claire. He needed to be a man, for his girlfriend. He was afraid, but he stood tall so as not to appear weak. Now, he knows better. The lightning won't strike him in here. Even if it did, he is strong. Being a troll, he could withstand almost anything.

Jim walks back and fourth down the streets of New Trollmarket. Since Gunmar was killed, life for the trollhunter had quieted down. There was no imminent danger to be seen. The only real "action" Jim ever got was when a troll went missing, which always turned out to be a "bastard search," as they say. No one ever really went missing. They just forgot to tell anyone they were leaving. So, as Jim marches through New Trollmarket, rigid and at attention, he feels silly. He should be in bed. Trolls only sleep four minutes a day, but still. This is ridiculous. No one is here. Everyone is quiet in their homes, taking some leisure time. And Jim is stuck out here. In the cold. With only the echoes of his own footsteps for company.

Walking along, Jim wonders, does he regret it? Turning himself into a half-troll, half-human creature to defeat Gunmar and Morgana? He doesn't know. He certainly doesn't regret saving his family. He certainly doesn't regret protecting the world he loves. But now, he can never come back to it. Sure, he has Claire, but what about the long term? Eventually Claire would get sick of him, right? Being stuck with as ugly a thing as himself? No, Claire wouldn't, he tells himself each and every night. Claire would go to college, see her parents, but then she would come back. That's what Jim hopes will happen. Claire avoids the subject each time they talk.

Suddenly, Jim hears distant footsteps which are not his own. He draws his sword and whips around as quickly as his muscles will allow.

"Whoa, Master Jim, it's just me." Blinkhe throws up his arms in surrender, apparently shocked by Jim's sudden display of hostility.

Jim returns his sword to its sheath. "Oh, sorry Blinky. You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"Master Jim, I had no intention of 'sneaking up on' you." Blinkhe says, annoyed.

"Yeah, guess I'm just… on edge. Why did you come here, anyway? Everyone is taking the night off because New Trollmarket is finally finished."

"Master Jim, I was reading in my study, and I believe I found something of interest to you…" Blinkhe trails off, debating whether he should continue.

"And?" Jim asks, just wanting Blinkhe to cut to the chase. "What did you find?"

"I believe– I believe I may have found a way to return you to your human form."

Jim fells as though all the air had escaped his lungs. This couldn't be true. It couldn't. Merlin said… oh, Merlin. He was never known for telling the truth. But this, why would he lie about this? Besides, even if this was true, wasn't he still needed as the trollhunter? No, he's not needed anymore. He feels useless in this form. All this strength, and no true need for it. His life could be changed. _No_ , he tells himself. _Don't get your hopes up. High hopes can lead to sadness. Low expectations can lead to pleasant surprises._ All this flashes through his mind within a second. He composes himself.

He says, "Merlin said that I cannot be changed from this form." He closes his eyes tightly. They burn. "And I believe him."

"No, Master Jim. I found something in an ancient text authored by Merlin."

Jim opens his eyes. This is not a dream. This is real. "How did you get your hands on one of Merlin's books?"

"I happen to know some pick-pocketing friends…" Blinkhe trails off. He allows his eyes to wander to a Barbie doll house nearby.

"Gnome Chomsky." Jim says, as someone might say 'ah ha!' "Uggghh, I never should have let Chomsky come with us."

"Jim, this is important. And if a gnome can help you to return to your true state, so be it."

Jim is silent. He wants to counter. He wants to say that _this_ is his true state. But he doesn't know whether he desires that to be true. He wants to say that he is a better trollhunter in this form. Danger might come eventually, after all. He wants to ask why Blinkhe wants to return him to a human. But all he really cares about is being a human again. For his friends, for his family, and for himself.

After a long pause, Jim says, "What did you find?"

Blinkhe glances around, as though someone might be listening. "We can't talk here." He says. Blinkhe leads Jim into his study.

The room is bright. So much so that Jim is temporarily blinded. "Ahh," Jim says, as he covers his eyes with his palms. Who ever said that trolls are better at handling pain? After a couple seconds, Jim removes his hands and squints at Blinkhe, who appears to be standing over a book on his desk.

Jim examines the room. It is small. Very few people could be as skilled as Blinkhe when it comes to spatial awareness. Ask anyone else, and no one would be able to fit as many books in this small space and still live comfortably. Sure, Blinkhe has a house, but he never goes there. He lives, breathes, and sleeps in his study. A rug made out of an old blanket lay in the middle of the room. There is a desk off to the side. It is old, but the lacquered wood still looks beautiful. Everything in this room was purchased from Goodwill. Everything in New Trollmarket was purchased from Goodwill. Claire was their only source of income, and she worked to help them finish New Trollmarket. Yet another way Jim failed her. Jim should be working. Claire should be enjoying her gap year before college. Every other wall of the room is covered in a bookshelf. The door has a bookshelf. It makes a nice barricade for a smaller troll or a human. Blinkhe never seemed to lose his paranoia.

Jim walks over to Blinkhe, which only takes him about two steps. Jim was tall before, but now that he's a troll, he is towering. Blinkhe pages through a book made with lokta paper. The rough texture of the paper itself makes it look primeval. Jim read somewhere that lokta paper could last centuries. It makes him wonder how old this book truly is.

Eventually, Blinkhe finds the page he is looking for. "Here." He points, "This is all the knowledge Merlin has about the spell used on you." Blinkhe points. Jim glances at Blinkhe. Jim had been meaning to learn Trollish. He just hasn't gotten around to it yet. He didn't really need it, anyway. His amulet translates for him. Blinkhe really just wants Jim to keep up appearances. Blinkhe looks at him, sighs, shakes his head, and says, "Merlin was right, partially. This says, 'once turned, one can never become fully human again.'" Jim opens his mouth to speak. Blinkhe interrupts, "But it follows by saying there is a way to make that person into a sort of changeling, except there would not need to be the theft of a child. The following is a list of ingredients needed for a spell. This will allow you to change from your original human form to your troll form."

Jim didn't know what to think. This almost seemed too good to be true. Almost. "Blinky, this could change everything." Jim smiled. He felt as though he could breathe again. Like he was under water all this time, and he didn't even know it.

Blinkhe returned the smile. "Yes, Master Jim."


End file.
